The Ship Of Bones

“This is a model of the French frigate Hortense, a Napoleonic vessel whose crew were all captured,” says Gordon. “They were imprisoned in Portchester Castle on the south coast of England and made this model of their ship from the bones they saved from their beef rations. It was quite common, certainly during the Napoleonic Wars, for captured soldiers and sailors to make models. Soldiers, and sailors in particular, were used to making and mending all the time. If something went wrong on a ship, they had to fix it themselves. This model is stunning.”